Safety device for stranders



27,1946- c. oysnuss'ru-z I 2,406,530

SAFETY DEVICE FOR STRANDERS Filed May 19,1945 2 Sheets-Sheetl INVENTORCARL O. BRUESTLE 1946- c. o; BRUESTLE SAFETY DEVICE FOR STRANDERSFiled'May 19, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT on CARL o BRQJESTLE 7 ATTONEYS Patented Aug. 27 1946 SAFETY DEVICE FOR STRANDERS Carl 0. Bruestle, Rahway, N. J., assignor to Syncro Machine Company, Perth Amboy, N.J a corporation of New Jersey Application May 19, 1945, Serial No.594,757

1'. l This invention relates to improvements in stranding or cablingmachines with special refer- .ence to a safety, device controlled by theindividual strands being formedintoa cable for stopping the machine whenone or more strands breaks or runs out. p r V A more specific object oftherinvention is the provision of a safety device for stranding orcabling machines comprising an electrical switch for each strand havinga contact member controlled by it.

A more detailed object of the invention is the provision in such asafety device of means for renderingit inoperative when desired.

Other and more detailed objects of the invention will be apparent fromthe following disclosure of one embodiment thereof as illustrated in theattached drawings. 7

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction,arrangement and relative location of parts as will be described indetatil below. V

In the accompanying drawings 7 Figure 1 is a side elevational view ofthe front end of a strand or section with some parts broken away;

Fi ure 2 is a vertical, central, cross-sectional view through one of thesafety devices of this invention;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;and

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of thestructure of Figure 3. i V

In the operation of stranding and cabling machines, it is desirable tohave some form of safety device actuated when one or more of the strandsbeing formed into a cable breaks or runs out to automatically stop themachine for the purpose of repairing the break or substituting a freshpackage of strand material.

While it is not of special importance in relation to this invention, itis noted that stranding and cabling machines are adapted to twist two ormorebare or insulated wires, respectively, into a cable as represented,for example by a stranded wire cable or a plurality of twisted insulatedconductors. It will be seen from the following disclosure that thesubject matter of this invention is applicable to the control of variousforms of machines for feeding wires, tapes, ribbons, strands, or thelike to detect breakage thereof or their running out and when desiredupon detection to efiect stoppage of the machine.

. 2 in elevation the front end of a typical stranding machine of which asupporting girder or structure I is a part. Mounted upon this structureby meansof bearings and rollers or other suitable supports 3 is a largedisc-like member 2 centrally of which is secured a shaft 3 to the end ofwhich, not shown, power to effect rotation thereof is applied in anysuitable manner. The shaft 4' has an axial passage through which acentral strand or core C may be fed longitudinally to the die positionD. Attached to the end of the shaft 4 is the lay plate 5 which has aseries of guides or eyepieces 6 mounted therein through which thestrands W to be twisted around the core C are guided to the dieposition.

The forward portion of the guide tube for one of the strands is shown at1 while the forward portion of the cradle for one of the other strands Wis shown at 8. The construction of this portion-of the machine is ofspecial importance with relationto the subject matter of this inventionand may take any of the forms that are known in the art of which the oneillustrated is a well known type. The strands pass through passages 9 inthe supporting disc 2 so as'to deliver the strands W to the controldevices which form the subject matter of this invention.

The contro1 devices are arranged around the disc 2 on its forward face,as illustrated, so asto lie in pairs at diametricallyopp'ositepositions.

Thus it is possible to twist one or more pairs of strandsW about. thecore..C. At this point it may be noted that it is not necessary, as willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art, to have a core wire C sinceone or more pairs of strands W may be twisted into spiral relationshipat the die station D without the use of a core strand.

The safety device itself is clearly illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4.Each device consists of a base plate III which is attached in theopening 9 to the forward face of the disc .2 by means of cap screws l I.The guiding and protecting tube 1 telescopes into a central aperture inthe supporting plate ID, as clearly shown in Figure 2. Mounted in anysuitable manner on the plate I0 is an insulated bushing l2 in which anelectrical contact I3 is mounted so as to be insulated from the machine.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated Attached on or formedintegral with the plate ID are a pair of parallel arms M in the ends ofwhich is attached a shaft upon which the guide wheel I5 is rotatablymounted and over which the strand W passes from the tube 1. Attached tothe plate In in any suitable manner so as to lie between the parallelarms I4 is a small bracket IE on which is rotatably mounted an S-shapedcontact mem against the support I j and is biased so as to normally urgeit into en.-

gagement with .thecontact l3. This bias results from the fact that oneend of the spring "lies The strand W is fed Contact II, as cleargagesthe contact l1. through the upper loop of the 1y illustrated in thedrawings, so that when the strand is under normal feeding tension itwill hold the contact I! in the position shown inFig; ure 2 against theresistance of thebiasing spring I8 tending to move it in acounterclockwise direction (Figure 2) into engagement'withthe fixedcontact l3. l I The S-shaped contact I! has its lower leg eittended, asshown in Figure 3, so that it may be slid transversely 'initspivotalsupport from the full line position shown in Figure 3'tothe'dotted'imsition in the same figure; A collar l9 is secured to theextended armof'thecontact so as to-lie against'the pivotal support whenthecontact is tlius'shifted. Attached to or'formingpart of'the support I6 is" an arm ?'2 ll having a. slot! extending inwardly from its upperface 'and an car 21 overlying the slot as is best seen from Figures? and4.

' When .the contact I! is in-full line position itmay pivot in itssupport under the ends of the spring i8. On the other han'djwhen it isshifted to the do'tted'line position shown in Figure 3"it' lies in theslot in"the 'arm 20 and when'moved behind the ear 2| isheldiby'gth'espring la in a slotted position out of, engagementjwith" the contact l3,as clearly shown by therighthandd'otted position v of Figure 2.

l6 and a longer end 18' en-' ber I1 'formed from arod or wire of asuitable event the contact arms l! are shifted to a position where theymay be locked in inoperative position 7 in the slotted arm 20. They willthus not interfere with the operation of the machine in twisting fourpairs of wires.

Electrically it will be seen that the contact arm n .l 1 is-grounded onthe machine forming one side of the circuit to be controlled by thesaiety device 'The'leads, not shown, for the insulated contacts l3 willbe extended to a slip ring, not shown, insulated from the machine bymeans of which the other control circuit wire is connected through a Ifixed insulated brush, not shown. It is, of course,

apparent that the'control circuit may be used for any number of purposesas, for example, to operate a signal device or suitably constructedswitches for shutting off the power which operates the entire machine sothat if a strand is broken it "can be repaired or if it has run out itssupply reel can be replenished, j From the abovedescription it will beapparent to those skilled in theartthat the s'ubject matter-of thisinvention; is capable of "somevariation without departure from the scopethereof and i.

do not, therefore, desire" to" be limited other than as required by theappendedclai'ms.

- What is claimed is t 1. In astrand feed'ngmachine,thecombination-including a guidemember over which the strand is'fed inthe direction-of its length, an in sulated electricalcontactmounted-adjacent said guide member, and a'movablecontact armbiased towards engagen ent With' saidfixed contact and positionedadjacent the path of travel 0f, the

strand to said'guide member was tobe'engaged bythe strand andheldagainst-itsbias out ofengag-ement with the fixed contact; wherebyupon The normalop'eration of this device is already clear from thedescription above; 'Whenjin'use the strandW holds .thecontact'arm l1 outof engagement with the contact 13 either until it is broken or runs outwhereupon spring "[8 'move's'it into engagement with the contact l3.

:Since a stranding machine" of this .typefis adapted to'handleanynumberof p'airs'of strands within its capacityjit' will bedesirable'frequently when using 'a lesser number of -pairs than themaximum capacity of'the machine'tobe able to render the control device11 inoperativejAs'sum ing for descriptive purposes that" the machine iscapable of handling eight pairs'o'f strands and it is desired to twist acable having only four pairs of strands, itis apparent that every'othersafety device must be rendered inoperative: "In that breakage or runningout-of the-strand the movj able contact engages-fthefixed contact,saidmovablecontact being transversely shiftableand 'a locking memberforming a" seat 'therefor into which it may be shifted transversely.

2. In a strand feeding machine as 'top motion switch comprisinganinsulated electrical {contact mounted adjacent the pathof travel oftlre strand,

Y a movable contact arm, means for pivotallygand 'slid'ably supportingsaid contact arm'so-as to be 'engag'ed b'y the strand, resilient meansfor' biasing said arm into engagement with said contact-"when the strandbreaks or runs out, and means-forming a lock for holding said arm outof'eng'age ment with said contactwhenshifted into engagemerit therewith,said resilient means serving-to hold said arm in said seat.

CARL 0,. "BRUl-iisTL E.

